(Workington) (Con)
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that superfast
broadband is available throughout the UK. [908258]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport ()
This Government are aiming as high as we can on the delivery of
better broadband across this country. We have spent £1.9 billion
on the superfast programme, taking more than 96% of UK premises
to superfast connectivity. As part of our plans for nationwide
coverage, we are also committed to investing £5 billion to
delivering gigabit-capable broadband to those in the
hardest-to-reach areas.
I thank the Minister for that answer. In my constituency, rural
constituents seeking to use the universal service obligation to
obtain better broadband speeds are increasingly flabbergasted at
the costs coming from BT, which seeks to offer fibre to the
premises when fibre to the cabinet is sufficient to meet
legislative requirements. Will he use his position to stress to
BT that it should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good?
As I say, this Government will always aim for the gold standard
on connecting people, but because my hon. Friend understands the
value of connectivity to his constituents, he is absolutely
right; on the USO, we need not only to wait for the outcome of
Ofcom’s investigation of BT’s current approach, but to make sure
that the perfect is not the enemy of the good.
Topical
Question
(Meon
Valley) (Con)
Mobile and broadband coverage are going to be important during
this winter lockdown, especially for those working at home. What
steps has the Department taken to improve mobile coverage in
rural areas where it is poor, such as Rowlands Castle, Hambledon
and Cheriton in my constituency? [908214]
I know that all those areas in my hon. Friend’s constituency
struggle with coverage. That is why we agreed a £1 billion shared
rural network deal with operators that will see them collectively
increase mobile coverage throughout the United Kingdom to 95% by
2025. I am confident that her constituency will be a beneficiary
of that.
